Another winner from John Standford. This one was hard to put down, a great adventure with Lucas Davenport!

The “Prey” series began in 1989 which is pretty mind boggling, when you thing about it. I’ve been reading the books for years & have my favourites like every other fan. But I felt like the last couple of books had lost a bit of the old spark & wondered if that would continue in the latest instalment.

The short answer is no, it hasn’t. The author has shaken things up by giving his popular MC a new job & surrounding him with a completely different cast of characters. Lucas is now a U.S. Marshal & thanks to some political connections, gets to pick & choose his cases.

The first one to catch his eye is a multiple murder in Biloxi. Four men associated with a Honduran drug cartel were shot while counting the proceeds & unfortunately one of them brought his granddaughter to work.

Garvin Poole & Sturgill Darling are responsible for the carnage. They’re 2 good ol’ boys known to law enforcement as the “Dixie Hicks” & have an uncanny ability to strike fast & disappear. But after making off with almost $8M they just may have pissed off the wrong people this time.

Turns out the Hondurans frown on being robbed & they quickly unleash a pair of bizarre assassins to get their money back. One is pretty handy with guns, the other has a passion for power tools. Their search turns into one long road trip through the southern states & the highways get a little crowded once Lucas & the Marshals Service join in.

The change of venue & cast breathes new life into the series. Lucas is still the smart, dogged cop in Gucci loafers but for the first time in years, he’s starting over. His special status ruffles feathers around the office & he doesn’t have his usual gang of dependable colleagues & snitches to fall back on. But he still loves the hunt & along the way hooks up with Bob & Rae, an entertaining duo who may end up filling the shoes of old characters like Capslock & Shrake.

Sanford retains much of what has made this series so popular. You can count on a twisty plot, car chases & shoot outs, colourful bad guys with questionable fashion sense, dry humour & an economical, laconic style of dialogue. His penchant for quirky character names continues. Case in point: Garvin’s girlfriend Dora Box. When you come across her full name you’ll see what I mean. And if you’re really lucky, there may even be a cameo by that fuckin’ Flowers.

He’s a master of pacing & the story clips right along before the race to a satisfying finish. I really enjoyed this & whipped through it in a day. It’s a chance to ride shotgun with a more introspective Davenport & the characters he encounters along the way make for an entertaining trip.

Two thumbs up for John Sandford’s next Prey book, ‘Golden Prey’. If you like chase scenes, good guy/bad guys, shoot outs, mystery, and can manage some gruesome moments, then you’ll love this page-turner. This story gives you a perspective of both sides of the law and is filled with nail bitter moments and some humor. I’ve read the entire Prey series and was not a fan of the last couple of books but this book was worth it…Lucas Davenport is back!

John Sandford's Prey series is still going strong. Golden Prey is the 27th book in the series (not counting the Virgil Flowers spin-off), yet it never seems forced or formulaic. Love how the characters have changed and grown over the years and the plots of the stories keeps me furiously turning pages long into the night.